Putin Signs Decree for Spring Conscription of 150,000 Men Amid New Age Limits for Military Service

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has signed a decree establishing the routine spring conscription for military service, calling up 150,000 Russian citizens, according to a document published on the Kremlin’s website on March 30.

The conscription will take place between April 1 and July 15, 2024.

As per the new Russian conscription rules, which took effect on January 1, 2024, men between the ages of 18 and 30 are required to serve, with exceptions made for those who turned 27 before the end of 2023 and those aged 28 or 29 who are in reserve.

This routine draft comes after the Russian lower house of parliament raised the maximum age for conscription from 27 to 30, with the new legislation taking effect at the start of the year.

All Russian men are legally obligated to undergo one year of military service or equivalent training during higher education starting at age 18.

The decree also provides for the dismissal of soldiers, sailors, sergeants, and petty officers whose conscription periods have ended.

Military conscription in Russia has long been a sensitive issue, with many men attempting to avoid being drafted during the twice-yearly call-ups.

Conscripts in Russia are not legally allowed to be deployed outside Russia. In 2022, they were exempt from the partial mobilization, which sought to enlist at least 300,000 individuals with prior military experience for the war against Ukraine.

However, despite this exemption, some conscripts were sent to the front lines in the autumn draft of 2023.

Earlier, Ukraine announced plans to deploy 15,000 combat robots to the battlefield in 2025.